LETTER: A real chance for a sustainable city

WHAT a fantastic opportunity for a sustainable Chichester under the about-to-be revised city-wide plan.

The original local plan did describe the city as the ‘jewel in the crown’ and had at its heart the understanding of the area as eminently walkable/cycleable.

This can only be enhanced with the proposed upgrade of public transport interchanges at Southgate.

How wonderful to have the invitation to think creatively with the statement that there will be ‘no limit to the aspiration’, a real chance to think and design sustainably and long-term.

The ‘carbuncle’ that the new museum has morphed into could be retrofitted with green/living walls (already the stark concrete is disfigured with staining), perhaps a cafe on the roof terrace?

Look at how London and New York manage some of their public roofs and civic buildings/spaces. Think of Freiburg in Germany and how, with vision, they have created a truly sustainable city.

Think of how we could market ourselves as the ‘emerald city on the south coast’?!

It’s good to see that Selsey has a vision for enhancing their harbour-side, perhaps a ‘Rick Stein’ at Selsey with local growers/producers involved?

Chichester is a market city, we need to invest in and upscale what we already have, it is popular with tourists, we need to build and enhance not destroy and brick over for ever more residential development.

Depressingly it is difficult to see how, with the prevailing political climate, sustainable principles will be embedded in the development that will happen here.

This is an opportunity to get something right for our area, think ‘sustainability’ in all development, you lose nothng, you gain everything!